Avalon
by mizu
Summary: Safety and peace seem abundant in Usagi’s home land. But her peaceful slumber shall soon be broken, for the storm is just over the horizon, and approaching quickly.(Usagi & Demando content included--Mamoru isn't in yet ;))
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: No own Sailor Moon! Naoko Takeuchi owns   
Sailor Moon! (Clear enough, I hope...)  
  
AN: Story is mine, though. ;)   
Arigato to mal for your suggestions! ::hugs!:: you're the   
best! ;)  
  
Avalon:   
Prologue  
  
The dimly lit moon cast it's shadows upon the vale.   
It's silvered rays kissed the blades of grass as the breeze   
toyed softly with the rolling hills. All was quiet, save   
for the stray owl that hooted into the darkness of the   
night.   
  
On the edge of the vale, stood a castle, mighty and   
fortified in it's place. The weathered stones reflected   
nothing, but only swallowed up whatever noise and light   
from the external world.   
  
Through a slit of a window, a candle-lit flame   
flickered weakly, threatened by all the surreal, yet   
natural, forces around it. The breeze, the rain, the soft   
gales that accompany the moonlight upon the grassy hills,   
threatened it's very existence. However, the greater of   
it's worries came from the inhabitants within the stone   
fortress. What power they held; what advantages they did   
not realize...  
  
However weak the flame was, it was enough to emblazon   
the runes in it's proximity. The ornate, swirling carvings   
stood mutely in their places along the window's edge, the   
walls and the ceilings.   
  
A string of the wind filtered it's way through the   
slit-window. It seemed to brush it's liquid-like body   
across the window carvings, as if reading and comprehending   
their meaning. However, it soon became engulfed by   
stillness of the chamber, dissipating into nothingness.   
The knowledge of the runes disappeared with the wind.  
  
Another breeze succeeded it's predecessor, entering   
the chamber with the dreary mood of mother nature   
supporting it. It paid little heed to the runes. Instead,   
it headed straight for the tiny flame, fully bent on   
extinguishing the light.   
  
At first, the flame feebly resisted it's attack.   
However, strong the flame might have been, it was too weak   
to fight back. The force was too overwhelming as it   
succumbed to the greater force and accepted it's fate.  
  
A figure resting within the chambers stirred. It was   
cold for a late spring evening. Her lithe frame twisted   
underneath the silken sheets; signs that the chill of the   
wind had attempted to retrieve her from the world of dreams   
and faeries. Her eyes were shut tightly, as she   
subconsciously resisted the pull of the wind.   
  
The wind dispersed, leaving only the moonlight alone   
with the chamber's inhabitant. Like a thin layer of honey   
coating a pastry, the moon shone forth it's meager light on   
the beauty asleep in the four-poster bed.   
  
The door to the side creaked open slightly, as two   
shining depths peeked within. Gradually, the door was   
parted, and it's opener stepped within. The moonlight   
found a new inhabitant of the castle to amuse itself with,   
and began shining it's luminance on the new figure.   
  
The moonlight danced along the side of his face, the   
other, obscured in the shadows of the furniture about.   
It's shadowed light also revealed a flat chest and stomach,   
identifying the person to be a handsome male. His eyes   
twinkled, alight, as he walked himself toward the female   
figure entangled in the clean sheets.   
  
Bending on one knee, he stood there, and simply   
stared. She was a truly beautiful sight indeed. Her   
slumbering features seemed to be the epitome of serenity   
and calm. Grasping the edges of the sheets lightly, he   
raised then just under her chin. He'd always protect her,   
even if it only was from the crisp breeze from the night   
air.   
  
Lifting his slender fingers to her cheek, he brushed   
the curve gently, relishing at it's softness.   
  
The dark lashes began to flutter slightly, however,   
he did not retract his fingers from her face. Two   
glittering azure orbs glanced sleepily at her rouser. She   
blinked out her fatigue, smiling lovingly at the handsome   
man hovering just above her. Leaning toward the fingers   
that had outstretched to cup the porcelain of her face, her   
other hand sought him out. Finally, her hand rested on his   
trim, robed waist.  
  
"What brings you here to rouse thy wife from her   
slumber?" She grinned, fully awake. Her eyes held no hint   
of anger.   
  
"Sorry," he murmured honestly, "I couldn't resist."  
  
"And here I thought an angel's wing brushed me   
awake." Her hand returned under the warmth of the covers,   
only to appear again over the hand that cupped her cheek.   
  
"No, an angel's wing didn't brush you awake, rather,   
a mere mortal touched the soft cheek of an angel," he   
smiled handsomely in response. She giggled at his remark,   
her shoulders shaking slightly with unsuppressed mirth. He   
bent down to kiss her forehead lightly, before planting a   
tender kiss on her lips. She responded in return, wrapping   
a hand around the arch of his neck. Her fingers   
intertwined themselves naturally within the silken strands.   
  
It was he who parted the kiss, leaving her to nudge   
her to nudge his neck affectionately. She inhaled the   
sweet scent of him.   
  
"Love, you should get some rest," he murmured,   
planting another kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back   
shortly. I still have to finish some things in the   
bookroom."   
  
Her petal-like lips pouted adorably, as he placed   
another willing kiss on her lips. "Can't you stay here?   
With me?" She sulked childishly. "You know I can't bear   
to be away from you..." She reached out to his departing   
figure.  
  
"Give me ten minutes," he challenged himself, "I just   
have to safeguard a few things. I'll be back, I promise,   
Usa." He took another appreciative glance at her before   
edging slowly toward the cherry-wood doors. She seemed so   
much like a gilded angel, with her hair spread out on the   
large bed. She was an angel sculpture that was beyond   
artistic critique and acclaim, she was far too precious to   
be treated as such either. No, she was the fragrant   
blossom of his life. She was the solitary rose that   
sprouted from the snow-ridden expanse within his heart.   
  
Reluctantly, she nodded, sinking back into the covers   
once more. "Ten minutes," she said firmly. Her lips   
curved to smile brightly at him again, a smile so bright,   
so beautiful, that it shamed the light of the moon on her   
small body.   
  
"Goodnight, Usa, my beautiful wife..." he whispered,   
his eyes ablaze with his love for her. He gazed at her   
longingly.   
  
Slumping back into her goose-down pillow, she blew   
him a kiss in return, "Good night, love..." Her prince was   
always true to his word. He'd always return to her side,   
embracing her in his powerful arms that would never let go.   
  
She returned back to her dreams, envisioning the man   
she loved most; her white prince...   
  
  
***  
  
AAAHHHHH!!! ::bolts from a large group of usa-mamo   
lovers:: eep! Get away! Get away, I say! ::wields a   
pointy stick like a sword:: (umm...but don't withhold on   
the e-mails though!) ^^;;   
  
Umm...Avalon? ever heard of the mythical isle? Actually,   
mizu's a history nut...sort of... but I haven't been   
taking that class for quite some time, so things are really   
rusty... (at most, I remember Greek and some Egyptian   
history) This stuff, I really had to look up...but you're   
bound to see lots of historical errors, so just letting you   
know now... (Treat it as an A/R, with some historical fact   
blended in)   
  
Anyway, hope you like! ;)   
  
e-mail is always nice... ^^;;  
  
tokiya_ensui@yahoo.com   
  
01/25/01   



	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own Sailor Moon. Belongs to Naoko   
Takeuchi.  
  
"Seeking Paradise in a Dream" – Shukaido, keyword, PSME  
  
Special thanks goes out to Storm-chan for the rhyming   
phrases...rhyming is *NOT* my forte...and of course, to   
mal—who's probably laughing madly about corrupting me, or   
something of the sort... ^^;;  
  
Avalon:  
Chapter 1   
By Mizu  
  
She dreamed. Not so much to say that random images   
appeared within her mind, plucked from the memories of the   
average day, but strange, full-featured visions that gave   
way to abnormal human imagination. However, unlike the   
lucid dreaming masters, she was unaware that she was still   
lying cuddled in bed; her husband's protective arm, curled   
around her slender waist.   
So, she stepped forward into the mists of the dream,   
bracing herself on a gray-swirled Corinthian column that   
appeared from nowhere, yet was set firmly in it's ancient   
foundation. She took a step forward, the foggy mists   
curling around her ankles. They beckoned at her, wrapping   
their translucent, liquid limbs around her body, taunting   
her to uncover what laid beyond their hazy gates.  
She stepped through, and was immediately engulfed by   
the enigmatic clouds of vapor.   
  
***  
  
Underneath, she could feel soft moss gently brushing   
her ticklish, bare, feet. The mists cleared considerably,   
however, a haze still hung about, slightly obscuring what   
lay far ahead.   
She blinked, clear, marlin-blue eyes drinking in the   
sights around her. She found herself in a primeval forest,   
rich with green life.   
Giggling, despite herself, she continued to trek   
forward, the unfurling ferns brushing past her in greeting.   
Her fingers took hold of her powder-lavender nightgown as   
she stepped over an overgrown tree root. She wouldn't want   
to find herself flat on her face on the ground, now would   
she? She'd corrected those annoying habits of falling long   
ago, however, traces of her early youth still existed in   
her gentle nature.   
The forest area was cluttered with plants of all   
kinds, almost...jungle-like. Rich vegetation covered the   
forest ground, draining the rich soil of it's nutrients.   
Funny, Usagi mused, skipping across yet another tree   
root. The land doesn't seem to mind.  
She halted in mid-step, pausing. Her hand released   
her nightdress skirt and began tugging at the plum-colored,   
satin ribbons. Where had *that* thought come from? She   
inhaled and exhaled slowly, placing a hand to cup her own   
forehead. She must be feverish, she drew to her own   
conclusion, nodding agreeably. Perhaps she should turn   
back, she conceded—but to where? Where *was* she anyway?   
She turned the opposite way, fully intended to head   
back where she had come. Marching purposefully, she yelped   
as her feet almost slipped on a wet stone.   
Before her, was a miniature waterfall. They crystal   
liquid splashed across weathered stones, splashing every   
which way. A child's water game that's lasted throughout   
eternity. The water itself seemed to be of a strange hue.   
It was not doubted that it was clear, however, there seemed   
to be a hint of...gold? in it? Perhaps the light was   
playing tricks with her mind.   
Yes, that must be it, she nodded to herself. Water   
is supposed to be clear, not gold... It's the sun, she   
concluded. It's light was too bright for her eyes to bare,   
enough to start mixing up her color senses. Her mind clung   
on to the distorted form of logic, brought on by her   
anxiety. Common sense, however, disagreed. The sunlight   
that the forest ground received passed through a thick   
canopy of tree-leaves above. She stared upwards at the   
trees towered above her. Clinging onto *her* logic, she   
shook her head and glanced once more at the small pond.   
It seemed untouched by the humanity, probably serving   
the occasional traveler who wished their thirst quenched.   
The thought of water made her throat ache. She was   
thirsty. However, she still doubted the purity of the   
water, deeming it to be contaminated, despite her logic.   
More vegetation cluttered around the banks of the   
tiny pond, as unfelt breezes grazed past arching stems,   
causing them to dip their heads forward into the pond.   
They seemed to drink their fill from the pond, then raise   
their glistening leaves to sparkle in the filtered   
sunlight.   
She blinked, completely bewildered at her current   
situation. The gurgling of the small waterfall filled her   
hearing senses, however, another sound became apparent as   
well. At first, she dismissed it to be the bright   
chortling of the pond, however, she could distinguish   
another chortling sound, slightly higher in pitch. She   
twitched.   
I'm hearing things now, she shook her head. What was   
wrong with her today? Creeping to the side, she grabbed   
hold of the brush and parted it gently. Her voice caught   
in her throat as she bestowed the sight before her.   
Two, clear, transparent-like beings flitted in the   
air. The wings mounted on their backs sparkled like those   
of a dragonfly. They seemed to absorb the yellow light of   
the sun, the reflect an entire prism's worth of colors.   
They seemed too large to be dragonflies, even so, their   
wings were shaped more like a those of a butterfly.   
However, Usagi had never seen any butterflies like these   
before, fluttering above the running water.  
Perhaps they are butterflies? Usagi reasoned with   
herself, battling the inner turmoil of fact versus fiction.   
But their bodies were clear, like droplets of water   
contained in a single entity. And they had limbs!   
Butterflies didn't have limbs! Not like that!   
The pair of dragon-butterflies danced in circles,   
giggling high-pitched giggles. *This* was what Usagi was   
hearing? She crouched, unmoving in her foliage-concealed   
spot.   
She exhaled a breath slowly. Heaven...they were   
beautiful... their wings reflected back a kaleidoscope's   
worth of colors and patterns...   
They must have heard her sigh deeply, for the pair   
immediately stopped in their sparkling dance and flitted   
away across the pond. Usagi rose abruptly, turning every   
which way, but, they were no where in sight. She had lost   
them.   
She found herself circling the pond some few moments   
later, thinking rueful thoughts. Edging away from the   
pond, she found herself where she had started. Shrugging,   
thinking that she couldn't *possibly* see anything more   
strange than she had already, she continued on her original   
path in the woods.   
It was rather strange how the foliage tended to   
"part" the way for her. She shook her head and deemed it   
to be a temporary illusion.   
Well, to say the least, she hadn't seen the worst   
yet...  
Along the edge of another massive tree, in the brush,   
something rustled audibly. Tip-toeing like an overgrown   
child looking for cookies during the blanket of night, she   
parted the foliage and peered at the source of the   
rustling.   
She blinked. It blinked. Neither breathed. Both   
were frozen in their tracks. Ever so slowly, the tiny   
creature placed its arms at its green sides, its eyes never   
leaving Usagi's.   
The little creature, and the "leaf rustler", finally   
gave way to simply screeching its little head off. In   
response, Usagi yelped loudly in return, silencing the   
forest, save for the birds that kept singing their melodic   
songs, despite the screeching competition a tree elf and a   
maiden were having.   
Repeated sounds of "EEEEEEEEPPPP!!!" and   
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" resounded in the forest. The trees   
didn't seem to care...  
The small being finally quieted down and soothed it's   
shivering. It marched purposefully toward Usagi's peering   
face, taking a full survey of what was in front of it.   
"What manner of being is this?" It tittered, a heavy   
accent apparent in it's high-pitched voice. It tugged at   
it's green cap thoughtfully.   
"Mayhap a Giant? It's form gone amiss?" The little   
elf mused.  
Usagi furrowed her eyebrows, shaking her head in   
reply. A giant gone amiss? She suppressed a giggle,   
continuing to look seriously at the tiny being pondering in   
front of her.   
"No?" It stroked it's imaginary beard, deep in   
thought. Suddenly, it bounced up, a light dawning in it's   
face. "A pixie then...stretched from end to end!" It   
concluded happily. But his conclusion was short-lived as a   
frown appeared on his face. "Can thy tall form flex and   
bend?"   
It proceeded to walk closer toward Usagi, leaving the   
pouch that was previously slung across it's shoulders on   
the ground. It motioned for Usagi to bend lower, a request   
that Usagi complied with. Walking next to her face, he   
tugged sharply at her right ear, almost hanging off it.   
"Thy ears...they are round! My, such strangeness   
abounds! What manner of creature has such blunted   
features?" It dropped from her ears, back on the ground,   
bewildered by the observations he had just gathered. It   
proceeded to sit cross-legged on the stone, its pouch   
forgotten.   
A light dawned on Usagi as she figured out how to   
deal with a creature such as this. Instantly, she turned   
on the famed Usagi charm.   
"What a handsome little fellow you are," she   
whispered quietly. She received her desired response; it   
blushed deep crimson red into it's green body suit.   
Suddenly, it had become shy, pulling its hat off and hid   
behind it.   
"Methinks that thy compliments outshine the sun," It   
crinkled its nose in mock realization. "Thy comments are   
not that of a pun?" It looked suspiciously at Usagi,   
gathering it's pouch once more, preparing to leave.  
"Wait!" Usagi raised a hand to stop the tree elf.   
"Couldn't you at least tell me where I am?" She asked   
softly. "I'm lost, I think..."   
The tree elf halted in it's steps, "Lost, lost in the   
woods, you say?" It sighed half heartedly. "Why, my   
stretched pixie, thou art in the land of the Fae!" It   
narrowed it's eyes suspiciously once more. "Thou art a   
citizen of this beauteous land, are you not?"   
Usagi spoke the truth, "No," she replied, shaking her   
head slowly. The little being seemed to gasp in response.   
Immediately, it thrust it's tiny palm into his pouch,   
grabbing a fist full of powder.   
Before Usagi could blink, a shower of sweet-scented   
dust covered her face. It smelled...fruity... For some   
odd reason, the world had suddenly grown blurry in her   
eyes. The mist was returning as mysteriously as it came in   
the first place, engulfing her once more.   
"Sleep and forget, fair child..." The elf's fading   
voice murmured repeatedly. "Dream like that of the   
mild..."   
They were the last words that she heard before she   
plunged headlong into darkness once again.   
  
***  
  
"Usa..." A sweet, familiar voice lulled her into   
reality once more. "Usa...sweet?"   
Usagi's eyes parted, as she stretched in her   
husband's grasp. "Morning," she greeted, sleep still   
clinging to her small frame. She bent forward to dab a   
kiss on his cheek.   
"Love, you've been asleep for some time," he nuzzled   
her neck, smelling the sweet scent of his wife. How he   
loved waking beside her warm body, curled around his.   
She grinned innocently, fingering the halo-like   
wedding band on her left hand. "You never *did* mind, did   
you, Demando?"   
Demando smiled flirtatiously. "No, I never did..."   
He planted his soft lips on her swan-like neck, reveling in   
the taste of her yielding skin. She moaned in response,   
her fingers instinctively threading themselves into his   
fair hair. His arm came to rest on her abdomen, stroking   
it gently.   
Something flitted by outdoors, as Usagi abruptly   
turned her senses toward that direction. It looked   
like...a little person with jewel-like wings...   
Shaking her head, she dismissed the fact and fell   
back into Demando's embrace. One of her slender arms   
wrapped around his bare back, feeling the tightly knit   
muscles. He raised his head to stare directly in her eyes,   
the deep pools of blue that caught hold of his soul when he   
first saw them...   
With all the love he held in his heart, he bent down,   
closing the gap between them once more, his lips fixed on   
hers in a tender kiss...  
  
Needless to say, they didn't get up until much   
later...  
  
***   
  
"Never in my dream-wort hunting have I met a thing so   
strange," a little tree elf mused, walking on the forest   
ground. It tugged at it's green cap in deep thought, as it   
often did. "Methinks such an oddity can only be of Fate's   
arrange..." It shook it's head, continuing on with it's   
merry way, leaving all it's troubles behind.   
  
***  
  
::runs and hides:: oi. Yes.   
  
  
  
yes, this is based on Arthurian myth. (Where else would I   
get the idea of Avalon from?) ^^;; anyway, 99% of my   
research is probably incorrect (or made up), so, don't take   
my ficcie facts for the truth. I didn't intend on   
insulting anyone or their heritage or ideals. I apologize   
if I have (or will).   
  
Oh, feedback is nice. ^^  
  
tokiya_ensui@yahoo.com  
  
mizu-chan 


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own Sailor Moon. Belongs to Naoko   
Takeuchi.  
  
"I want to return to I don't know where." – Shion Zaites,   
PSME Keyword  
  
Kick me not. I haven't gotten around to figuring what I   
was going to do with this. (Bless my editor! She offered   
her assistance in this endeavor.) ^^;;  
  
Avalon  
Chapter 2:  
  
Ignorance was bliss.   
  
Such was the predicament of Usagi, wife, lady and   
lover of one very lucky White Prince. There were dreams   
that beheld her unconscious mind at night, stirring her   
vivid imagination like a pool of chaotic colors. Logic   
laid dormant during her dreams, within the deep, feathery   
bed of reality.   
  
Hovering near dawn, logical thought would resume once   
more, forcing her mind to drop the burning embers of her   
memorable dreams, allowing them to sink into the oblivion   
of forgetfulness.  
  
Usagi fanned out her crimson velvet dress underneath   
her, gracefully descending upon the solid oak chair. The   
engravings were of swirling entities entwined around each   
other, like braids in slippery strands of silken hair.   
Gratefully, she accepted a warmed cup of peppermint tea,   
uselessly blowing away the dancing steam rising from the   
heated liquid.   
  
A basket of flowers settled close by on the rough   
wooden stool half-hidden behind the wall's ledge. Floral   
fragrances drifted from the bundle of wild blossoms, fresh   
from the Fields of Dawning, waiting to be placed in their   
newest home until they wilted. As if in answer to the   
silent question, a servant girl with plump, rosy cheeks   
hefted the basket with one arm, steadying the woven   
creation and its contents on the small of her hip. Her   
dyed, woolen dress was going to smudge with dirt from the   
fields. Usagi smiled faintly as the little girl bobbed her   
head once at her in reverence, then dutifully turned to   
help her mother in the kitchens.   
  
Overall, it was going to be a quiet day, again.  
  
Demando was away on official business, as usual. He   
had promised to return tomorrow evening, 'whilst the stars   
winked down upon her,' he had said, giving her a quick,   
chaste kiss. Usagi was far beyond accustomed to these   
frequent departures. She understood the duties bestowed   
upon him according to his royal lineage, as she herself,   
understood that she had duties as a courtier. Thus, she   
could do nothing but to wait, and have her tea in utter   
peace and silence.   
  
Her touch confirmed the temperature of the bland   
peppermint tea to her liking. She peered over the lip of   
the cup as she brought it toward her lips. It would do her   
no good if a bug had flown into the drink. She chased away   
the last strands of curling steam with a gentle breath,   
sipping the hot fluid carefully.   
  
She blinked, uncomprehendingly. The tea was sweet.   
The honeyed, sugared taste tickled her taste buds lightly,   
in combination with the soothing refreshment of the   
peppermint.   
  
She didn't understand. She had specifically asked   
for unsweetened tea. Perhaps the maid forgot that she   
always took her tea plain. The thought did not bode well   
in her mind, however, her maid knew her for far too long to   
make a common mistake such as this.   
  
Might as well not let the tea go to waste. With that   
thought firmly implanted in her mind, she took another sip.   
Again, the sugary taste overwhelmed her senses, like fresh   
honey combs from the hive.   
  
She opened her eyes, catching sight of the odd   
swirling of her tea. She froze, lips connected with the   
edge of the cup. The liquid drew dangerously close to her   
lips, but she avoided it as best she could as if it were   
ground hemlock. A strange chill crawled up her fully   
clothed spine, tickling her as it traveled toward the   
standing hairs on the nape of her neck. It was the type of   
tickling that elicited far more horrific sensations than   
laughter. She had not seen her reflection in the cup.   
  
Fear traveled along the length of her body. The soft   
material of her dress wrapped around her did not stir, nor   
did it rumple with movement.   
  
The mists of steam parted slightly, giving her a tiny   
peek of images seemingly plucked from a child's tale. They   
were images caught within the sinuous web of a dream   
catcher's netting. Instead, this case did not include a   
dream catcher, but a tea-cup.   
  
A single image focused, swimming in the rippling   
pools of the herbal concoction. It was an image that   
defied all laws of physics, yet, it seemed...akin to the   
world. The world was full of marvels, who was Usagi to   
decide what existed and what did not?  
  
The image of a small, pale figure gazed back at her,   
head tilting sideways in curiosity. It's body was clear,   
and naked as the eternal dawning. The part of it's anatomy   
that surprised Usagi was that of the translucent wings   
mounted between the small shoulder blades.   
  
Usagi sat there, entranced with the vision. The   
figure, in itself, tugged at something untouchable hidden   
beneath the depths of her mind. It tried to weave out of   
the maze of common sense, only to find itself lost within   
its own reasoning.   
  
The figure raised two fluid limbs. Something was   
clasped between it's hands, but what the object in question   
was, she could not tell.   
  
The tiny body seemed to inhale deeply, small body   
expanding slightly, before giving a great sigh of an   
exhale. A great sunburst of a shower of petals flew toward   
Usagi, blinding her of the little person's image.   
  
Eventually, the image was once again engulfed in the   
misting steam, and the tea was as it was before. Shakily,   
Usagi set the cup on the polished wooden table. With   
delicate fingers, she smoothed out her skirt, staring at   
the back of her hands.   
  
It wasn't real...It wasn't real... she murmured   
carefully to herself. She was hanging onto sanity with a   
loose thread as she used all her willpower to climb that   
thread. Ignoring her doubts and her fears, steadily, she   
returned to a state of calm that she deemed acceptable.   
However, her eyes continued to glaze over the area that she   
smoothed her skirt with trembling hands. The bleeding   
fabric mirrored her true blue eyes, merging the colors   
together to create a crimson scarlet.   
  
The tea lay on the table, forgotten.   
  
***  
  
Usagi retired to bed early in the afternoon in an   
attempt to destroy any memory of the occurrences earlier.   
She would sleep, she concluded, and she would forget. She   
would forget the tea, the little flying figure, the petal   
shower, she would forget *everything*.   
  
She was tucked safely under down-filled coverlets,   
hands clutching a bottle filled with warm water. She had   
blatantly refused the housekeeper's offering of tea to deal   
with the chills. It wasn't a particularly chilly day,   
however, she had enough chills of her own to deal with.   
  
So, she dreamt again. Dreams that meant everything,   
yet nothing at all to her. Dreams that her coherent mind   
made no sense of and dismissed them as useless delusions.   
  
Before her lay the everlasting mists, drifting closer   
with every passing moment. They sought to swirl around   
her, to caress her, to engulf her. She saw nothing of her   
forgotten forest, however, but saw only the impenetrable   
mists.   
  
She waited for an eternity as it came, passed and   
went along it's merry little way, standing steadfast on   
something that was vaguely solid. She tugged one ear in   
contemplation.   
  
To her surprise, the haze filtered slightly,   
revealing a pair of all too familiar marble columns. They   
were cool to the touch, she noticed upon running her   
fingers upon the rigid texture. Yet, they hummed with a   
warmth unknown. The merest touch seemed comforting to her-  
until something blinked right back at her through the thick   
fog.   
  
A pair of eyes stared back at her, laughing   
cheerfully at her without so much as a sound. They were an   
exact replica of her eyes, in shape, color, and clarity.   
The only difference that Usagi could pinpoint was the depth   
that they held. Her mirrored eyes held so much more wisdom   
than she could ever comprehend.   
  
A long arm plunged from the opaque white vapors,   
beckoning Usagi with the slightest crook of a slender   
finger. The eyes were still smiling, still cheerful. They   
were inviting her to approach the mists, to enter through   
the marble gates once again.   
  
She almost did, as she leaned forward, a hairsbreadth   
away from the merry gaze. The fingers that had beckoned to   
her invitingly slid around her arm, gently pulling her in.   
The reality of the illusion seemed to grasp her at that   
moment, dragging her away from the misting portal by her   
other arm. She took a step backwards, only to find that   
the once soft and tender grasp increased the strength of   
it's hold. As she attempted to take more steps backwards,   
to retreat to the calm, foundational world of her reality,   
the iron clad clasp held her with unimaginable strength.   
It seemed impossible for an arm so petite, so lithe to have   
the power of several burly men. The thought alone caused   
Usagi to shudder noticeably. How could something so   
harmless, so gentle, seem so dangerous? The age old quote   
came to her mind, 'looks can be deceiving'...  
  
She struggled with the vise-like grip, following the   
tug of reality. Her attempts only served to tighten the   
grip at her arm, the nails digging into her flesh   
painfully. Small half-moon marks would be left on her   
forearm later, possibly short-term scars.   
  
The mortal game of tug-of-war continued, as Usagi   
desperately struggled to free herself. Something   
undeniably alien flitted across her face—fear. Usagi was   
truly afraid, and made no motion or false expression to   
hide that fear. Stray tears escaped from the confines of   
her eyes, streaming down in a fine, glistening rivulets.   
  
Abruptly, as if coming in contact with hot irons, the   
hand slid away, withdrawing back into the mists where it   
had previously come from. The eyes blinked once, a   
concerned expression settling over their consistent gaze.   
Within the next blink of an eye, they melted and merged   
into the haze in which they were created.   
  
Usagi fell in a mass of rustling cloth and nightgown,   
back arched over her folded knees. Sobs erupted from her   
undersized frame. She buried her face in the mass of   
flimsy material of her layered gown. She rocked back and   
forth miserably, desperately seeking a coherent thought as   
evidence that her sanity still existed.   
  
A firm pair of hands caught hold of her quivering   
shoulders, kneading them softly. They had an adverse   
effect, as a result. Usagi froze at the touch of the   
utterly unknown presence, fearing to turn her face around   
to meet the gaze of her captor.   
  
A face pressed itself next her ear, unhampered by the   
waves of golden hair. The cool breath of their whisper   
stroked her cheek like a goose down feather.   
  
"Why do you deny us?" A voice whispered   
enigmatically, sotto voce. It was terrifyingly close to   
her, sounding extremely fearless.   
  
It was then when she willed herself to wake.   
  
***  
  
She gasped for breath, inhaling in the night air   
deeply. A hand sought to hold hers. She flinched at   
first, however, upon noticing that it was Demando, she   
relaxed significantly. Demando must've crawled into bed   
when he had arrived home from his journey. It was   
considerate of him to refrain from waking her.   
  
He sat up, allowing the sheets to slip from his   
gloriously bare torso. Two arms encircled around her   
waist, steadying her.   
  
"Something wrong?" He whispered close to her ear,   
planting a soft kiss upon the tender spot underneath her   
ear. One of his hands began tracing faint patterns on her   
shoulder.   
  
After a moment's hesitation, she shook her head in a   
negative response.   
  
His hand trailed lower down her arm, en route to lace   
his fingers with hers. She flinched when he passed by her   
forearm. Instinctively, she rubbed the delicate spot   
carefully, tending to the sore.   
  
"Usagi?" Demando asked quietly, lifting her arm in   
inspection. "Did someone hurt you today?" A slightly   
protective lilt entwined in his quizzical voice. He was   
trying to restrain his anger...  
  
"Hm? No," she answered automatically.   
  
He ran a finger gently over her skin. Again, she   
flinched, and again, she could feel his chest tremor ever   
so slightly in concern.   
  
It was far too dark too see any bruising of any sort,   
particularly light bruising. However, small, curved nail   
marks had punctured her skin, not very far from bleeding.   
  
Her eyes fixed on the area of her skin that was   
damaged, darting from one tiny wound to the other.   
Confusion and calamity fluttered from one end to the other   
within her mind, thoughts running a mile per minute.   
  
Her hands flew to her face, eyes wide with the fear   
of a cornered animal. She turned abruptly to Demando,   
burying her face within the crook of his neck, crying out   
his name between sobs. He caught the odd fragment and   
phrase, trying to pin together the phrases to create a   
complete, coherent thought. All he gathered was her   
constant whimpers.  
  
"Make them go away, make them go away!" She shrieked   
into the night.   
  
*** 


End file.
